Mowing-machine.



A. PAPE.

MOWING4 MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED PEB. 1, 1911.

2 smnfrs-sanm 2.

Patented NOV. 28, 1911.

been found that wet and wiry grass will not clog the cutting mechanism and lingers or render the same inoperative, but will be cleanly cut and the machine will remain operative under these adverse conditions.

It will be observed that the side-edges of the adjacentl V-shaped knives are spaced apart where they join the cutter-bar and there isa longitudinally extending non-cutting surface between the back ends of adjacent knives, with the result that the back ends of the inclined cutting-edges or bases of the knives are so spaced apart from one another, that a space vof the full depth of the knives, corresponding approximately to the width of a knife is provided between adjacent knives. These spaces permit the grass to pass rearwardly between the fingers and into the crotch formed between the knives or between the points where the diagonal edges bf the knives join the cutterbar. For example, when the apices of the knives are midway between adjacent fingers, there will be no part of the cutting-edges between alternate pairs of lingers, and resultantly the grass will have ample opportunity to pass into these clear spaces, and be acted upon by the full diagonal cutting edges of the knives, thereby preventing the grass, particularly when wet and wiry, from being flexed by the knives and drawn through the channels in the fingers without being cut, before the knives begin to slide in the opposite direction or before it will be flexed downwardly to the ground, as frequently results when wet grass does not fully enter the spaces between the knives and at the back thereof. Furthermore, when the apices of the knives are in 'the fingers, there will be a longitudinally eX- tending space between the base of each knife and the adjacent fingers, so that the grass will readily pass to the cutter-bar 'and be subjected to the action of the entire cuttingj edge of a knife.

The invention is one which may be readily applied to mowers of the general type now in common use, becausethe invention may beapplied thereto by equipping the machine with a suflicient number of lingers and the proper number of blades and making provision for a sufiicient stroke of the cutters to cause them to pass substantially between alternate fingers and completely through or across the immediate fingers during each vstroke or reciprocation.

So far as I am aware, the invention presents the first instance in which the efliciency of the machine to operate in'wet grass or grain has been increased by ymaking provision for operating the knives substantially from center to center of alternate tenesse lingers and by having substantially twice as many fingers as blades to accomplish this result.

Having thus described the invention what L claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. 1n a mowing machine, the combination of a reciprocable cutter-bar having a series of knives thereon, a series of fingers through which the knives operate, longitudinally eX- tending spaces being formed between the rear portions of the cutting-'edges of adjacent knives, and mechanism for reciprocating the cutter-bar and knives, comprising means for imparting bodily movement to the knivesto cause them to vpass completely through a finger during each reciprocation.

'2. 1n a mowing' machine, the combination of a' reciprocable cutter-bar having a series of knives thereon, longitudinally extending spaces being formed lbetween the back porfingers through which the kn'ves operate,

there being a nger for each knife and aV finger for each space between the knives, and mechanism for operating the cutter-bar to cause the knives thereon to travel across thev spaces between three adjacent fingers during each reciprocation and bodily and completely through a finger.

3. In a mowing' machine, the combination of a reciprocable cutter-bar, having a series of V-shaped 'knives thereon, longitudinally extending spaces being formed between the bases of the knives at points where they join the cutter-bar, there being a Enger for each knife and an intermediate finger for each space between the knives, and mechanism for operating the cutter-bar to cause the knives to travel between alternate fingers and coinpletely and bodily through the intermediate fingers.

4. In a mowing-machine, the combination of a reciprocal cutter-bar a series of V- shaped knives thereon, the bases of the knives being separated to leave longitudinally extending spaces therebetween, a finger for each knife, an intermediate finger for each space between the knives, the bases of the knives being spaced apart sufficiently to leave longitudinally extending spaces between their bases and adjacent fingers when the apices of the knives are disposed in intermediate fingers, and means for operating the cutter-bar to move the knives bodily and AMAND PAPE.

lVitnesses:

FRED Gnnmcn, AMY tlnHLn. 

